Meet the winemakers, taste their flagship wines, and get ready to bid on some of South Africa’s best wines at the Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction showcases next week, ahead of the annual auction, which is set to take place in October at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West.

Cape Town is first in line for the showcase, on 24 August, while Johannesburg follows on 30 August. The auction takes place on 6 and 7 October.

Now in its 41st year, the Cape Winemakers Guild was founded in 1982 by eight winemakers — Achim von Arnim, Billy Hofmeyr, Braam van Velden, Etienne le Riche, Jan “Boland” Coetzee, Kevin Arnold, Peter Finlayson and Walter Finlayson — in response to apartheid’s isolation, so they could enhance the local industry, share knowledge and benchmark South Africa’s wines against international producers.

Three years later, the first guild auction — then still known as the Cape Independent Winemakers Guild — was conducted by Stephan Welz Auctioneers in Johannesburg. Nedbank has been the auction’s sponsor since 1996.

Since its founding, membership has slowly expanded and this year the guild boasts 41 members — out of 457 private cellars in South Africa. Earlier this year, the guild welcomed three new members, Reenen Borman from Boschkloof Wines, Christo le Riche from Le Riche Wines and Hannes Storm from Storm Wines.

The programme has taken on 38 protégés so far, 18 of whom currently hold leadership roles in the SA wine industry and seven are still completing their internship with some of the country’s finest winemakers.

The guild’s current chairman is Gordon Newton Johnson (from the premier pinot noir and chardonnay Newton Johnson Vineyards in Hemel-en-Aarde), with Samantha O’Keefe as his deputy.

O’Keefe owns the pioneering Lismore Estate in Greyton, whose Lismore Syrah has been glowingly described as “consistently one of South Africa’s best expressions of the grape” by Tim Atkin.

Next year, O’Keefe is expected to take over as chair. She will be the second female chair in the guild’s history: the first was another accomplished American winemaker, Andrea Mullineux.

Rianie Strydom of Strydom Family Wines and Erika Obermeyer of Erika Obermeyer Wines are the only other women members of the guild, with trailblazer Norma Ratcliffe (founder of Warwick Wines) — widely hailed as the doyenne of the South African wine industry — an honorary member.

The lack of diversity is something that the guild, in particular, is working on addressing, through its protégé programme. Established in 2006, 34 participants have so far completed the three-year internship, with seven current participants — all women.

Of those who have graduated, 18 former guild protégés are now either in leading roles in the industry or have their own winemaking projects.

The internship programme, which initially focussed on winemaking, now also includes viticulture students. It’s aimed at ensuring skills transfer, by giving protégés practical experience, knowledge, mentorship and nurturing in the wine industry.

Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust

The Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Development Trust was established in 1999 to support social development through further education in the South African wine industry.

The Trust is funded by donations as well as proceeds raised by CWG Members at charity events — including the auction. Current Trust projects include the Oenology and Viticulture Protégé Programmes, the AgriSeta Billy Hofmeyr Bursaries and Wine Training South Africa. Louis Strydom (Ernie Els Wines) is the chairman, with Praisy Dlamini, a past protégé and general manager at Adama Wines and Gerard Martin of Winetech the trustees.

Last year’s auction brought in R13,985,500, with 1,898 cases fetching an average price of R7,369 per case (or R1,228 per bottle) — a significant jump on 2021’s sales of just under R9.9-million for 1,734 cases (averaging at a per-case price of R5,686 and average price per bottle: R948), reported WineMag.co.za.  Average bottle price: R1,228 (R948 in 2021)

In 2022, the average price per bottle of white wine was R1,069 (R749 in 2021), while the average price for red wine was R1,317 (R1,066 in 2021).

Kanonkop’s CWG Paul Sauer 2019 fetched the highest average price at the auction (R2,457 per bottle), followed by Cederberg’s Teen die Hoog Shiraz 2020 selling at R1,861.

Lismore’s Valkyrie Chardonnay 2021 fetched an average of R1,743 per bottle while the Mullineux Trifecta Chenin Blanc 2020 sold for R1,633.

Just under a third of the lots were sold to international bidders, with the hybrid live-online auction attracting bidding from 14 countries.

Membership is by invitation only and many of South Africa’s leading winemakers are members of the Guild.

The CWG has regular technical tasting group meetings, which give members an opportunity to evaluate wines from around the world and to share their knowledge and ideas.

What makes the guild so special? It’s down to the focus on quality, innovation, exclusivity, mentorship and terroir: Guild members are the leaders of the South African wine industry, committed to producing wines of the highest quality.

The auction will be taking place on Friday, 6 and Saturday, 7 October at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, with bidding options including: in person at the venue; virtual live bidding via the Strauss & Co website; via telephone, and absentee bidding.

The auction will feature a silent auction of signed, past CWG and flagship wines to raise funds for the Guild’s Protégé Programme. Light snacks will be served. DM

Tickets for the public tastings are available on Quicket:

24 August 2023: Cape Town Showcase (Get tickets)

30 August 2023: Johannesburg Showcase (Get tickets)